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Global March for the Climate
What: Montreal 2005 Global
Climate March
Who: All citizens, young and
old, of Quebec and the world, who are concerned with their future and the
future of the planet.
When: Saturday, December 3,
2005, 12:00 Noon.
Where: Join us at one of the
two following rendezvous points: 1. Square Dorchester (corner of Peel and
RenÈ-LÈvesque) 2. Papineau Metro Station exit
How: The March will take
place in a festive, family and peaceful spirit.
Purpose: To send a clear
message to decision-makers attending the Montreal 2005: United Nations
Climate Change Conference. Rally
your family and friends and come out and WALK FOR THE CLIMATE!
If you can't be in Montreal,
check out the Ontario and Atlantic Canada Chapter sections for
information on marches in Halifax and Toronto!
National Office
2005 Lifetime Achievement
Awards
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On November 21st, Sierra
Club of Canada gave its 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award to Senator Mira
Spivak. Canada's Ambassador for the Environment, Karen Kraft Sloan
presented the award to Senator Spivak (see photo). We celebrated
Elizabeth May's appointment as and Officer of the Order of Canada.
We also recognized the Right Hon. Paul Martin for his work to protect
the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Despite a vote in the
House in the middle of the event, Jack Layton, leader of the New
Democratic Party, Peter McKay, Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party,
Environment Minister Hon. StÈphane Dion, former Environment Minister and
2004 recipient of Sierra Club of Canada's Environmental Achievement
Award Hon. David Anderson, and Environment Critic Nathan Cullen,
were all in attendance.
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We would like to thank
everyone who attended, your presence made it a great success!
And the winner is!
The MUCHMEMBERS 2005
membership contest closed on October 31 with a grand total of 354 new
members recruited. Congratulations and thank you to all chapters,
groups, members and friends who helped to make the MUCHMEMBERS
contest such a success this year. We are sure you will benefit from
the addition of new members to your chapter or group.
The Malaspina Group,
which is part of our British Columbia Chapter,
won for the most members recruited (40) and also for the highest
percentage increase in new members (138%). They will share $3500 in
cash prizes with the BC Chapter, and we congratulate them on their
efforts.
A complete list of results is below.
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Groups
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Start
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New Members
Recruited
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Finish
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% increase
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Cape Breton
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12
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3
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15
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25
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Chinook
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172
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15
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187
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8.72
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Coast Mountain
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30
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1
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31
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3.33
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Haida Gwaii
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12
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12
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Lower Mainland
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216
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14
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230
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6.48
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Malaspina
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29
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40
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69
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137.93
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Mud Creek
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56
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1
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57
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1.79
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Niagara/Hamilton/Burlington
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76
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76
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Ottawa
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204
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16
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220
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7.84
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Peel
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38
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6
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44
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15.79
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Ron Burchell
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307
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21
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328
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6.84
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Quadra
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42
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17
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59
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40.48
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Quebec
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173
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15
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188
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8.67
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Victoria
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300
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24
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324
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Calendars Now Available
Sierra Club 2006 Wilderness Wall Calendars and
Engagement Calendars are now available through your chapter office. They
make a great Christmas gift while supporting your chapter. Please contact
your chapter for more information. The Sierra Club of Canada
National Office has a limited supply of Sierra Club 2006 Engagement
Calendars.
Order by calling 1-888-810-4204.
No more subsidies to Big Oil
– Election Edition!
Deputy Prime Minister (and
Liberal candidate in Edmonton) Anne McLellan has agreed to provide $1.2
billion in additional federal subsidies to construct the Mackenzie Gas
Project (MGP). The MGP would provide natural gas to fuel further
development of Alberta’s tar sands, which produces the most damaging type
of oil for the global atmosphere.
The MGP oil companies led by
Imperial Oil are already fabulously profitable (Imperial Oil had over $700
million in profits in the third quarter of 2005). As well, the oil
industry already receives $1.4 billion in government subsidies every
year.
Write, email or fax the
leaders of all of the four federal political parties (Paul Martin,
Stephen Harper, Jack Layton, Gilles Duceppe) asking that they commit to
cancelling these subsidies to Big Oil if they are elected. Tell them to
say no to more subsidies for the Mackenzie Gas Project and yes to
investments in energy efficiency and wind and solar power!
Check out www.mackenziewild.ca for more information.
People and the Planet 2006 - Volunteers
Needed!
SCC’s third People and the Planet conference will be
held from June 9 through June 11 2006 in Ottawa, at St. Paul’s
University, Ottawa. Please contact Susan Paul if you would like to
lend a hand in making the conference a success! (spaul@sierraclub.ca)
ELIZABETH MAY BLOGS
Read Elizabeth May's daily
blog for the impressionistic, emotional and passionate sense of what will
be happening in the COP11 negotiations (November 28th - December 9th)
over the future of our world. http://citizen.nfb.ca/blogs/emay/
ATLANTIC CANADA CHAPTER
WALK AGAINST WARMING IN
HALIFAX – December 3rd
Join 10,000s of people
around the world to bring attention to the United Nations' Climate Change
Conference in Montreal. Make some noise and show the Canadian government
that we care about the future of our earth! The Raging Grannies, speakers
and more fun entertainers will be at the podium making sure our message
is heard! Be sure to write or call Paul Martin as well to let him
know you are watching what he does in Montreal (pm@pm.gc.ca or 613-941-6900)
On Saturday, Dec. 3rd the March begins 1:00pm at
Victoria Park (corner of Spring Garden & South Park)
Bring your friends, your
umbrellas (and yourself of course!) visit www.sierraclub.ca/atlantic for more information
LONG DISTANCE LOVE AFFAIR
WITH ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS!
Want to donate to the Sierra
Club of Canada, but don't have the extra cash? You can support the
Atlantic Canada Chapter (www.sierraclub.ca/atlantic) every time you make a long distance call, by
subscribing to Sierra/Escarpment (S/E) Telecom! To enroll and
start donating to Sierra CC, phone 1-888-815-9068, email rbarnett@escarpment.ca, register online at www.sierraclub.ca/atlantic or print off the form below and mail it in to the
address at the bottom.
*Please Note Sierra Club of
Canada, Atlantic Canada Chapter (SCC-ACC) as the "Partner
Charity", or SCCACC doesn't get any proceeds!
BC CHAPTER
The Ongoing Energy Battle:
burrowing into the corridors of power
By Tom Hackney, Energy and
Climate Change Campaigner
The Sierra Club of Canada,
BC Chapter is continuing its partnership with the BC Sustainable Energy
Association (BCSEA) to participate in the regulatory oversight of BC
Hydro’s ongoing electricity plans.
While this may sound
undramatic, in fact the BC Chapter now has a significant voice in B.C.
electricity planning. Partnered with BCSEA, we bring a professional
quality of evidence and legal representation to hearings before the B.C.
Utilities Commission.
Case in point: because of
our work, BC Hydro has committed to creating a public advisory committee
to give input on energy conservation in B.C., to be used in updating
Hydro’s 2002 Conservation Potential Review. There is huge potential to
avoid environmental harm by saving energy, thus reducing the need to dam
rivers and build power plants. This is a significant step toward making
the big social shifts needed for real energy efficiency.
To receive the entire
article email ana@sierraclub.bc.ca,
Communications Coordinator, Sierra Club of Canada BC Chapter.
The Green Road that Leads to
Gold: BC’s Eco-Forestry Standard
By Lisa Matthaus, Coast
Campaign Coordinator, and Ana Simeon, Communications Coordinator
Compared to the buzz
surrounding the Grey Cup, or even the Christmas election conundrum, last
week’s announcement of the accreditation of BC’s eco-forestry standards
by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) would seem an also-ran in the
public attention stakes. Yet accreditation by the most respected
international forest certifying body opens the door to huge business
opportunities, portends a radical new way of managing forests, and is a
hard-won achievement that every British Columbian should be proud of.
The last couple of years
have seen an unprecedented boom in green construction. More than a dozen
cities across North America, including Vancouver and Richmond and likely
to be followed soon by Victoria, have adopted green building standards
for public or municipal buildings. The market for green building products
and services nets $ 5.8 billion (U.S.) annually. And this is not
including the construction bonanza expected in the run-up to the 2010
Olympics!
To receive the entire
article email ana@sierraclub.bc.ca,
Communications Coordinator, Sierra Club of Canada BC Chapter.
ONTARIO CHAPTER
Walk Against Global Warming
Saturday, December 3rd,
2005,
Location: Toronto
Contact: Rod Muir, 416-960-9606
Email: rodmuir@sympatico.ca
Walks in various parts of
Canada, to show that we care about global warming and the effect it is
having on our planet. If you won't be at the Montreal march, join
Toronto's!
EcoCertification Program
Team Meeting
Tuesday, December 6
2005 7-9 pm
Location: Duke of Argyle, 86 John St, Toronto
Contact: Michelle, 416-960-9606
Email: michelleseem@gmail.com
Web: ontario.sierraclub.ca/ecocertification
This is a monthly meeting
for the EcoCertification Program Team, to plan upcoming sessions for the
EcoCertification Program (http://ontario.sierraclub.ca/ecocertification)
If you're interested in volunteering
for the Sierra Club and/or the EcoCertification Program, please feel free
to come to this meeting to learn more.
Ottawa Group Executive
Committee Meeting
Monday, December
12th, 2005 at 7:00 pm
Location: 1 Nicholas Ave, Suite #412 Ottawa
Contact: Daniel Van Vliet Email: danielvanvliet@rogers.com
Monthly Executive Committee
meeting of the Sierra Club of Canada's Ottawa Group.
The Ottawa Group Christmas
Party/Potluck will be held on December 20th. Contact Daniel Van
Vliet for more details.
6th Annual
Bon Kanah of the Algonquin - Winter Outing
Thursday, January 26, 2006
- Long weekend trip
Location: Algonquin Park
Contact: Loretta Allen Phone: 416-960-9606
Email: loretta.allen@2workwell.com
Web:ontario.sierraclub.ca/outdoor_trips/
While Algonquin Park is
Canada's most popular canoe trip destination, few people have experienced
the stunning beauty of the park in winter. Frozen lakes, waist-deep snow,
wildlife tracks, the howl of a wolf and the crisp clear air are just a
few of the delights of a winter experience. The 'Bon Kanah' - or special
winter trails over land - offer fantastic opportunities for backcountry
snowshoeing and skiing.
PRAIRIE CHAPTER
As we move into the cheery
month of December the Prairie chapter is looking forward to enjoying the
season with a snowy outing and a festive party.
Will "winter finches" or northern raptors
spread across the continent this December? Will snow and ice blanket
North America, or will mild conditions prevail until the New Year? Will
observers along the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast be able to discover the
effects of this summer's hurricanes on their local birds? Tens of
thousands of Christmas Bird Count participants will be outside counting
birds, from the high Canadian and Alaskan Arctic to southern South
America to find out (http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/).
On Friday December 16,
Edmonton Sierra club members, along with the Edmonton Nature club and the
Provincial Museum, will be taking part in the annual Christmas Bird Count
to add our observations to those taken all across the continent.
A party to celebrate the past and future successes
of the Sierra Club is planned for mid-December. What better way to
build a vision for the future than over wine and cheese while the cold
wind blows outside? The Chinook group will also be holding the
5th annual Christmas potluck on December 10th.
We may also be able to celebrate the creation of a
new provincial park in the coming months. Nestled in the western corner
of Alberta, north of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, the
Castle Crown Wilderness is a critical piece of Rocky Mountain ecosystem
consisting of 1040 square kilometres of breathtaking beauty. The wild
free country laced together by crystal streams," as the famous mountain
man and writer, Andy Russell, penned it into people's hearts. A bill is currently before
the Alberta provincial legislature to establish the Castle wilderness as
the Andy Russell - I’tai sah kÚp Wildland Park in memory of Andy and Kay
Russell, and in recognition of the Piikani First Nation. (For more info: http://www.sierraclub.ca/national/getinvolved/item.shtml?x=887).
The Chinook Group is pleased
to partner with Alberta Ecotrust's on their Ecohome. Our goal is to educate Calgarian's on the benefits
of healthier homes and yards, which serve to protect people's health and
the environment. A trip to the Ecohome is a great opportunity to learn
about affordable options in adopting a healthy, responsible lifestyle,
with the environment in mind.
The Alberta Ecotrust Ecohome
provided a platform for collaboration and partnership between individuals
and organizations with diverse mandates. The results are extraordinary.
Designed through a charette
process that included experts in architecture, alternative energy,
landscaping, building, energy efficiency, building inspection, building
trades and sustainability, the Ecohome is an attractive home located in
the residential community of Lake Chaparral.
The Ecohome construction
effectively achieves an EnerGuide rating of 85, exceeds the requirements
of the R2000 Certification and Built GreenT Alberta Gold Standard, and
was built at a cost that was less than a 5% increase over the original home
model. Any family living in the Ecohome will live well, stay
healthier, save money and reduce their ecological footprint.
If the grey skies and biting
winds of winter seem are getting you down, remember, its colder here!
Best wishes from the Prairie
Chapter.
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